FFCat is out of beta!

Suprise!
While most of you thought that FFCat, the tool for organizing your filters with custom folders and keywords is still in Pre-Alpha stages, we've been secretly going up the ranks and got it all the way to beta.
Now, thanks to Saragani's hard work, I'm pleased to announce that FFCat is out of beta stage, and is now a fully functional.

I'm still working on a user manual, so it will be a few more days before you can download the latest version, but I thought you might want to hear the good news.

OOhh! I have not seen this nice and beautiful Nyan cat with that great and lovely tune!! And how beautiful this cat is

Thanks for putting it. I have fallen in love with it an surely I now know in what to spend 100 hours just watching this video nothing else is more important than this

Sorry to tell you but I think the title of the thread could have been better and more inviting and attractive considering that not many people knows what the FFCat is and did not know either that this was in alpha or beta.

I Had in mind the idea of making a new thread when you released the final version with a very good atractive title so many people could know really about your great work done to help customize FF Filters Library.

By the way if some software is out of Beta it means that is a RC (Release Candidate) version that is soon to be released, at least this is as I know it, as there is no Gamma or Delta versions of software

Hi again everybody!
As I'm finishing the video tutorial and manual for the final release of FFCat, I need you guys to make sure there's nothing else that should be added to the tool.

For more info on the tool and for a download link please take a look at this thread:
http://www.filterforge.com/forum/read...sage104203NOTE 1: download latest version (last download link)
NOTE 2: latest downloadable version DOES NOT include all features below!
NOTE 3: There's a tutorial that shows you how to use FFCat on YouTube

Here's a summery of what the tool can do now:
* create your own categories (folders)
* add as many filters as you want to a category
* add a filter to multiple categories
* add custom keywords to filter
* rate filters 1 to 5
* search filters by name\author\default keywords\your keywords\description
* arrange order of categories (move up\down)
* rename categories
* delete categories
* remove filter from categories
* delete a filter from the catalog
* sort filters by library ID\author\filter name\rating
* double click filter to open in FF
* see 9 default presets of the filter (Like online library)
* filters in list are thumbnailed
* see presets of your own (offline) filters
* images are cached for faster preview
* drag a filter from your disk into FFCat to add it to the catalog
* drag a folder from your disk into FFCat to add all filters in it to catalog
* see ALL filters
* see ONLY UNCATEGORIZED filters
* see filters in current category

WOW!! This is a great and large list with ALL the useful, interesting and good things that you tool will be able to do, and I think that there is nothing else that I could thing that could be missing to add.

Well, one thing, as the working of the FFcat is based on keyboard shortcuts, would be good to have some kind of button, link or whatever inside the tool to show those needed keyboard shortcuts without having to go to the manual. This could be shown in the way that think better and would be easier and possible with the XML your FFcat is using.

Thakns really very much for all the hard, great and very good work to be able to make this great and awesome toold that will really help very much to use FF in a new and much better way, and much easier too.

As I already said before, don´t worry at all if you could not have it ready for today, there is NO problem in waiting some days more, please take all the time you need to do it right and as you can and want.

SpaceRay wrote:I would recommend and suggest that you make a NEW clean thread about your tool

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Morgantao wrote:SpaceRay, that's a good suggestion. I shall make it so.

Good thing. I suggest that in the new thread you put this very well done text that I put below so they will know all the many things that you can do with the FFCat.

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Morgantao wrote:
Here's a summery of what the tool can do now:
* create your own categories (folders)
* add as many filters as you want to a category
* add a filter to multiple categories
* add custom keywords to filter
* rate filters 1 to 5
* search filters by name\author\default keywords\your keywords\description
* arrange order of categories (move up\down)
* rename categories
* delete categories
* remove filter from categories
* delete a filter from the catalog
* sort filters by library ID\author\filter name\rating
* double click filter to open in FF
* see 9 default presets of the filter (Like online library)
* filters in list are thumbnailed
* see presets of your own (offline) filters
* images are cached for faster preview
* drag a filter from your disk into FFCat to add it to the catalog
* drag a folder from your disk into FFCat to add all filters in it to catalog
* see ALL filters
* see ONLY UNCATEGORIZED filters
* see filters in current category

I hope and wish that there are many more users looking forward to this, as is not like the beta testing that had so low answers, and so the hard work of Morgantao and Saragani and all the time spent on this will be really worth it and will be helpful to many FF users.

-=IMPORTANT=-
Those of you who have earlier versions, here's what you need to do in order to use your existing catalog:
1) Copy Catalog.xml from the old program folder to the new program folder. Alternativly, just extract the new program on top of the old one, replacing the old files.
2) Rename Catalog.xml to Catalog.ffc3) Run the program
4) Click on any filter
5) Press Ctrl+A to select all filters
6) Press Ctrl+R to reload the filters.

You only need to do this once. If you don't have an existing catalog yet, you don't need to do this at all.

Hi, since some of you used the older versions, then until some version (due to a bug), FFCat was not saving the paths of the ffxml files.
I only discovered and fixed it when I had to implement the "double click on filter to open FilterForge" feature...

Ctrl + R tells FFCat to take any selected filter, go to its file path and read the whole content of the file again.

Since the path might be missing, it might not work.

The best thing to do if you are switching from an older version is:
1) click "Import FFXML files", browse and sel ect the files. When importing an already existing Filters, and unless the version was updated, FFCat will just sync the path. This task is fast since it doesn't need to read the whole content of the file.

2) After it finished importing all the files, click on a filter and then press Ctrl + A to sel ect all filters. Then Ctrl + R to reload all filters.

Ctrl + R reads the whole content of the file and overwrites all the Factory texts (factory description, keywords etc).
Since reading the syncing the factory description, it should fix all the [br] & and other weird texts that you had.
It will also import the "Update Notes" from the files...

Since Ctrl + R read the while content of the file, then this process takes time (just like when importing everything from scratch... But don't worry, you won't loose anything like User Keywords, rating, folders etc... Well, at least you shouldn't )

You can also import User/Offline filters. When doing so, FFCat will try to find it's Cache files in a near location.

You can also drag and drop files from Windows into FFCat (both ffxml and cache files), so if FFCat didn't find the Cache file for your user filter then you can import it yourself,

Cache files are only useful for User (offline) filters. Online filters (named as Library_Number-Ver.ffxml) will look for the images on the net using the Filter number.

If you have a filter called Library_1234-1.ffxml and it's name inside it is for example "Wind Blaster" and you also imported it's offline version fr om your Hard-Drive (meaning "Wind Blaster.ffxml") then you will have both versions on FFCat.

This is because other than name, FFCat has no way of knowing that those are the same filter, as it see it, one of them is an online filter with ID 1234 and one of them is an offline filter with Name "Wind Blaster").

You can also drag a filter fr om the Filters list into a folder. Since FFCat now supports multi-selection of filters, then you can select several filters and drag then into the same folder.

Other key shortcuts and useful information appears when clicking the "?" at the top left corner of the application.

Saragani wrote:
Have you re-imported all the filters to the program in order to fix the missing file path?

It seems that I have done this, and I thought it was done, but now I went again to do it and click on import FFXML files,
click on any filter and then click on open,
then in the bottom left appears the message "Importing Files, 0% complete"
and then after some time it appear a message saying "FFCat has stopped working"

I have attached my FFCatalog old file for you to try for yourself and see if there is something that could be wrong

The attached file had the .ffc extension but I can´t upload it with this extension, so I have changed it to .xml that is allowed to be uploaded to the forum, so please, rename it back to .ffc when you download it.

Thanks very much for the update and answer and for taking the time to look for a solution for this.

Should I update the Network Framework ? I have already version 4.

I have also tried to use the "drag and drop" feature to see if I could import the filters in that way instead with the "Import FFXML files" button, and it works if I drag and drop ONE FILTER, but if I select 10 or ALL it happens the same, it gives me the error message saying "FFCat has stopped working" although in this case the "Importing Files, 0% complete" is 7% instead of 0%

No don't install .net framework 4 again. Windows 7 comes with the light version that you have and should be sufficient.
When I get back home, I'll test it on my wife's computer and see if it's actually the problem I'm thinking it is.

Btw, if you use that version on a clean setup (no ffc file, aka start from scratch), does it also crash when you import files?

Saragani wrote:
Btw, if you use that version on a clean setup (no ffc file, aka start from scratch), does it also crash when you import files?

NO, in a clean setup does not crash when importing the filters

I have made a copy of the whole folder and then deleted my own catalog, and then started FFCat as new and click on "Import FFXML files" and very fast loaded all the filters without any error, and then was downloading the thumbnails for the filters.

Now the "br" error in the description has been fixed and does not appear anymore

BUT DOUBLE CLICK TO OPEN A FILTER does not work, if I click or double click over the name or thumbnail of the filter nothing happens.

Very Good thing that in the bottom part in the filter pane information, appears the links to "Go to filters page" and "comment on this filter", as this is very helpful and useful. Thanks.

SpaceRay, I have good news and bad news Saragani is not home yet, so I tried what I can (not much). If you don't want to lose all the folders you created in FFCat, open it with the old catalog (the one you post here), slect all filters (Ctrl+A) and delete them. It will take a few seconds.
Now you won't have any filters, and you can import the filters from your library.
The downside, you lose all the filters you have in the folders, The upside, you still have your folder structure intact.

In any case, Saragani will probably find a better solution, so keep a copy of your old catalog... Or just download it from here if you need to

Morgantao wrote:
The downside, you lose all the filters you have in the folders, The upside, you still have your folder structure intact.

Well, this is NOT really a great problem, as you can see there is ONLY a very few filters assigned to the folders, So if I loose this very few filters I do not care at all and is not a problem.

The only thing I do not want to loose is the folder structure I have already made.

Quote

Morgantao wrote:
If you don't want to lose all the folders you created in FFCat, open it with the old catalog (the one you post here), slect all filters (Ctrl+A) and delete them. It will take a few seconds.
Now you won't have any filters, and you can import the filters from your library.

Good suggestion and possible way to fix this.

I will try it.

AS you do not NEED TO INSTALL your FFCat you can have as many copies as you want inside their own folders, so you can have have many different versions and try different things.

So I can make a copy of the folder, and keep the folders but delete all the filter and import them again.

AND a very GOOD and excelent thing, now you can drag and drop the filter to the folders !!!!!

One thing, Where is the total of filters count ?

THANKS REALLY VERY MUCH FOR ALL THE WORK
THANKS REALLY VERY MUCH FOR ALL THE WORK
THANKS REALLY VERY MUCH FOR ALL THE WORK
THANKS REALLY VERY MUCH FOR ALL THE WORK
THANKS REALLY VERY MUCH FOR ALL THE WORK
THANKS REALLY VERY MUCH FOR ALL THE WORK
THANKS REALLY VERY MUCH FOR ALL THE WORK

Kraellin wrote
wait, this thing works outside of FF? it's a stand-alone?

YES!!! This works outside very well of FF. It is not depending on FF to work and has NO direct relation to the FF software. It works standalone. It´s only connected to the FF website and only connected to FF software to open the filters.

I wanted to upload the new version of the catalog BUT it now has 650k so I am sorry that is not possible, BUT if you want to have the folders organization you can use the catalog file I have upload above